Wire treating apparatus



' April 9, 1940.

P. HAKANSSON 2,196,662

' WIRE TREATING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 22, 1937 IN VEN TOR. PR HA KA xvsso /v ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 9, 1940 WIRE TREATING APPARATUS Per Hakansson, Fagersta,Sweden, assignor to National Standard Company,yN1lcs, Mich., acorporation of Michigan Application September 22, 1937, Serial No.165,067

1 Claim.

This invention relates to the manufacture of wire, and has particularlyto do with cleaning, grinding, or polishing the surface of a wire.

In polishing any type of metal article, it is of great importance thatthe polishing medium move at high speed relatively to the surface onwhich it acts. This is diificult to accomplish in the preparation ofwire for drawing, and usually the wire is merely drawn through astationary polishing device, for example a device provided with emeryacting on the surface of the wire.

This not only limits the speed, and has the disadvantage that thepolishing is in the direction of the length of thewire, but (especiallybecause of the tremendous lengths of wire which must be treated, and thefact that the surface is often greasy) the polishing medium quicklybecomes dirty and loses some of its effect and must frezo quently bereplaced. Also, in order to secure a I sufiiciently clean wire surface,it is often necessary to pass the wire through a device of thischaracter more than once.

An object of the present invention is to im- 25 prove the cleaning (i.e., the polishing or grinding) of Wire or the like, by treating the wirewith rapidly operated cleaning devices revolving around the wire as thewire is fed or drawn through the apparatus. Preferably the cleaning 30devices are mounted on and driven by shafts or equivalent supports,arranged to revolve about the wire. Y

While grinding wheels or the like may be used as suchcleaning devices, Iprefer to use 35 for most purposes cleaning belts, faced with emery orchrome oxide or the like, passing over pulleys on the shafts whichrevolve bodily (i. e., with a planetary motion) about the wire. However,in the case of wire coming directly from 4 a pickling operation andtherefore carrying with it a corrosive material, I prefer to use brushesmade of stainless steel wires. 3

The above and other objects and features of the invention, includingvarious novel combina- 45 tions and desirable particular constructions,will be apparent from the following description of the illustrativeembodiments shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section r0 through an apparatusutilizing cleaning belts;

Figure 2 is a partial vertical section therethrough on the line 2- -2 ofFigure 1, showing the belt arrangement;

Figure 3 is a partial section, corresponding to 55 the right-handportion of Figure 1, but showing an apparatus utilizing brushes orgrindin wheels; and

Figure 4 is a partial section therethrough on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.y

In the illustrative apparatus of Figures 1 and 2, 5 a wire ID to becleaned is drawn, by means such as a capstan l2 or the like, through aguide l4 such as a stationary sleeve mounted on the machine frame It,and through a rotatable sleeve l8 journaled in bearings carried by postsand 22 10 mounted on the frame.

The sleeve I8 is driven by means such as a belt 24 engaging fast orloose pulleys 25 or 28 on the sleeve, and driven at a relatively highspeed by means such as a motor 30. The motor 15 30 may also be connectedto drive the capstan i2, at a relatively low speed, through a suitablespeed-reducing gear 32.

The post 22 carries, fixed thereto on one side, a stationary gear 34coaxial with respect to the sleeve I8. Immediately adjacent the gear 34,the sleeve !8 has secured thereto a cross-head 36 carrying at itsopposite ends supports such as rotatable shafts 38 and 40. The shaft 38carries a pinion 42 meshing with and rolling on the 25 gear 34, andwhich drives the shaft as the sleeve i8 is rotated to revolve thecross-head 36.

The shafts 40 carry a series, e. g., four 1 "bout which pass cleaningbelts 46, arried on opposite sides of 30 the wire .in engagementtherewith as shown in Figure 2. The belts 46 may be made of strips ofemery cloth or the like, to serve as polishing or cleaning devices.

In the arrangement of Figures 3 and 4, the shafts 38 and carry grindingwheels or brushes 50 which engage the wire. If brushes are used,especially for cleaning wire coming directly from a pickling operation,I-prefer to make them of wires of stainless steel (i. e., steelcontaining a considerable amount of chromium), so they will not corrode.Since in this case there are no belts to drive the shaft 40, I provideit with a pinion 52 which meshes with and rolls on the gear 34 the sameas the pinion 42.

The apparatus of Figure 1 may, if desired, be provided with means forvarying the tension of the belts 46. For example, the shaft 40 may bemovably mounted in a slot 58 in the crosshead 36, and journaled in abearing 60 carried adjustably by an adjusting screw 62 threaded througha lug on the cross-head.

The two shafts 38 and 40 may be braced at their outer ends by aconnecting plate 64 or the equivalent. Suitable means maybe provided forrigidly carried by one end of the sleeve and terminating in an outersurface substantially flush with said end of the sleeve, a. pair ofparallel shafts carried by said cross-head on diametrically oppositesides of the sleeve and projecting outwardly from said outer surface, a,plurality of pulleys in abutting relationship oneach of I the shafts, aplurality of flexible endless wirecleaning belts each passing aroundopposite pulleys on said shafts and each arranged with its 'outersurface engaging the wire in such a manner that thebelt is entirely onone side of the wire, adjacent belts engaging the wire on oppositesides, power operated means for driving the sleeve, a stationary drivingmember adjacent the cross-head, a driving member carried by one of saidshafts and cooperating with the stationary driving member to drive saidone of the shafts and the pulleys thereon as the sleeve and crossheadare driven, a connecting plate connecting the outer ends of the shafts,and wire guiding means outside of said connecting plate, the wirebeing'unsupported between the sleeve and wire guiding means so that thebelts can be removed and replaced by removing the connecting platewithout removing the wire from the apparatus.

PER HAKANSSON.

